Danny Hodgson and Tom Borthwick have been asked to be part of the England Counties squad again for this summer's tour to Romania and France.

Manager Rob Udwin has asked former Northumberland County President Hodgson and Cumbria coach Borthwick to be part of the same coaching team with Yorkshire's Bob Hood who were behind the scenes on the tour to Chile last June.

This time there will be a two-match trip to Bucharest and Constanta, followed by a game against France Amateurs in Blagnac, near Toulouse.

The tour, which will only be open to players competing in the Tetley's County Championship, Under-20s Championship and Shield, follows the hugely successful inaugural visit to Chile when the England Counties won all three games on the two-week visit to South America, including a 33-21 Test victory in Santiago.

This year, the team will play Romania A in Constanta and Romania in Bucharest on June 10 and 14 respectively and, after a week back in England, take on France Amateurs on June 24. There will also be a return fixture in the South West of England against the French on December 28 or 29.

"The last trip was excellent in terms of what it achieved," said Hodgson, who is connected with the Alnwick club.

"As a development experience for the guys below Premiership level, it was a huge success and give them a real purpose and target to aim at.

"We're hoping this year will go as well. We have tougher fixtures but we're also hoping that touring becomes an annual thing for the England Counties side which is very much a worthwhile exercise." A squad of 26 for the Romanian leg will be chosen from the Tetley's county competitions, while the selectors will also watch club games to identify players of sufficient quality for the counties.

"Romania are a well-established Test playing nation and this will provide a real test for our second tier national side," said Udwin.

"The players will have had to compete in the Tetley's County Championship, Under-20s Championship and Shield.

"We will also be asking the selectors to watch games at Level 2, 3 and 4 and if they identify players of the standard we would like to take then they will steer them towards the counties."

Udwin pointed to fomer Blaydon lock Jason Oakes as an example of how it could further a player's career. "Jason was with Blaydon at level five when he was picked and now he is playing for Otley in level two."